My trip to South Korea didn’t include any black-tie events, so I was pretty confident that one pair of shoes could handle everything from the airport to the mountain tops.

South Korea has so much to offer: culture, art, temples, palaces, technology, street food and friendly people. While I was there, my aim was to get out into nature and explore a few of their 23 National Parks.

I visited Seoraksan, Odaesan and Mudeungsan National Parks. I climbed the 600-year-old Seoul City Wall. I hiked up steep hills of green tea fields and delved into bamboo forests. I strolled through the food markets of a seaside village, and I ran to catch the metro in the Seoul underground. I wore the Korean traditional dress, hanbok, which gave me free entry to palaces and museums. I squelched along a muddy trail in a fir forest in the cool rain. I peddled a rail bike along a coastal track in sweltering 30 degree heat.

Korea is incredibly mountainous. Most short hikes have at least 500m elevation gain, and I was glad I packed my trekking poles. The trails are well marked, and public restrooms are plentiful and clean. The convenience stores (like a 7-Eleven) are a hiker’s dream. I often picked up a kimbap (rice, meat and vegetable roll wrapped in seaweed) and a banana milk as my hiking snack.